Warhammer 40k: DAF: Infiltration Torin Serat
by Defender16
Summary: Descendants of Colony Fleets sent to a distant galaxy have returned to warn humanity of an impending threat. Returning to find a dystopia they send out hundreds of spies in an attempt to return the galaxy to it's "Dark Age of Technology."
1. Chapter 1

The Descendants of Colony Fleets sent to a distant galaxy millennia ago have returned to warn humanity of an impending threat. Upon their return however the fleet discovers that their once great civilization has long since fallen from grace. It doesn't take long for the people of the Returned Fleet to discover that in the Grim Darkness of the 41st millennium there is only war.

Determined to save humanity and return the galaxy to the heights seen in its "Dark Age of Technology" the Fleet sends out spies to hundreds of worlds in an attempt to Change the Imperium of Man for the better. Each spy selected for their mission has been trained in the ways of the Imperium by former Space Marine Brother Lavidean Atar of the Ultramarines chapter.  
Now it is up to each spy in turn to somehow survive on the often violent and desolate worlds of Man in the 41st Millennium.

* * *

Warhammer 40,000

The Dark Age Fleet: Infiltration of Hive World Torin Serat II

Log of Lieutenant Nils Korpil

Pre-insertion briefing indicates that the target planet of Torin Serat Two is a 'civilized' world of the Imperium of Man. Efforts appear to have begun over the past several hundred years to build up the largest cities into Hives. Two Hives are complete with a third under construction. The planetary biosphere has not yet been destroyed by industry, meaning the atmosphere is still breathable. This should make travel on foot easier.

Day 1: Infiltration pod landing complete. Artificial meteor used for atmospheric insertion impacted 2.1 km south of Pod's landing site. Pod sensors detected a small team of vehicles investigating the impact site, Speeders, Valkyrie or Vulture gunships seem most likely.

Day 2: Vehicle team has not expanded their investigation from the impact site. The Pod is secure and I am now setting out for the nearest population center to the north.

Day 5: The nearest small city appears recently deserted, obviously some time after our scans of the planet's surface. A road leading out of the city to the West - North West appears to have seen the heaviest use recently. I am setting out in pursuit.

Day 6: Late in the day I have caught up with a large column of refugees. They are fleeing toward a distant more heavily fortified city, though I do not believe it to be one of the Hives. The people do not speak to each other, most seem weary and worn. Only a few slow ground vehicles are present and they are filled with the young or those unable to walk. There are many things here I do not understand even with the preparations of Brother Atar.

Day 7: Refugee Column has come under attack by Feral Orks. Imperial Guard units are arriving but only in small numbers. I am signing off to run.

Day 8: I estimate that half of the refugees are dead and the rest have scattered. I believe the vehicles escaped, at the cost of leaving many behind. Some of us attempted to stay with the road for a time after escaping the fighting. Into the afternoon Heavy Artillery to the North West began shelling all of the roads in the area. Those left now make their way cross-country. Provided I survive until the city it should be easy for me to blend in as a local refugee.

Day 9: One of my data slates have been destroyed by shrapnel from the shelling. I have reconstructed the log of my previous days on planet as best as I could. The ground has become a cratered wasteland, complicated by the increasingly hilly terrain. By the end of the day it has become difficult if not impossible to locate any of the other refugees. I am uncertain if it is just the terrain making spotting them more difficult.

Day 10: Progress slowed by rains.

Day 11: I have stumbled upon a squad of dead Imperial Guardsmen. Some have been hacked apart, others shot and one appears to have drowned in the deepening mud between the hills. Their dog tags have been collected and deep boot prints cover the surrounding area. After appropriating a lasrifle I am now moving on.

Day 12: Progress still slow due to Mud. Using the lasrifle I killed a lone Grot this morning. I realised today that I have stopped taking note of the Artillery fire, though it remains constant. No sign of any other humans today.

Day 13: Spotted Guardsmen riding aboard Chimera APC's briefly before they disappeared among the hills. I am... beginning to grow weary of this existence, trudging through the mud for days on end with no visible destination. I see now why man took to the stars to escape this hellish groundside environment.

Day 14: I have walked straight into a battlefield. Imperial Guard and Orks fight each other, both in great numbers. APC's, tanks and hundreds if not several thousand human infantry are here. They must have been fighting for some time already because hundreds of bodies litter the floor of the valley I have entered.  
A group of Guardsmen lead by a Commissar are charging a nearby hill that Orks with Bolt weapons are camped atop. The Commissar has reached the top... A Nob with a power claw was waiting for him it looks like. It's just cut the man in two. The Guardsmen are panicking.

I see no other officers in the area. Moving to assist. Signing off.

* * *

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like nearly all of my Dark Age Fleet writings, this was written hastily for posting on /tg/ and I have little intention of expanding upon what gets posted. If you don't know what /tg/ is, don't ask you're not old enough. )


	2. Chapter 2

-1  
Nils Korpil stepped out of the small piece of cover he'd been using to watch the battle and began descending towards the valley floor. He continued walking as he reached the bottom of the hill, unslinging the borrowed lasrifle. Everywhere guardsmen were rushing about in fear and panic, most of them running away from the enemy.

"Pull back, dammit!!"  
"Flee!"  
"It's every soldier for his' self!!"

Nils stepped into the midst of the running soldiers, walking the opposite direction and shouted out at the top of his lungs. "Men of the Imperium! STAND AND FIGHT!"

Shouldering the lasrifle he fired over the heads of the guardsmen at the Ork Slugger boys descending the hill behind them.

"Rise up and strike them down!" He yelled, holding down the trigger and spraying the Orks with lasfire. The green monstrosities shrugged off the minor hits though and kept coming. With his left hand he pulled out his small plasma pistol that the senior officers had cautioned against using in front of local humans.  
He shrugged off that thought as he lined up the pistol and send a burning blue bolt into an Ork's head.  
"Faith without deeds is worthless!" He screamed now firing as fast as the pistol would cycle. "Prove your worth to the Emperor, because for a warrior the only crime is cowardice!"

A Corporal that Nils had passed earlier had back tracked and now stood beside him, adding his lasrifle's fire against the Orks. A few other men from the Corporal's squad joined in, concentrating fire to make up for their weak weapons. Dropping his rifle, Nils stooped down over a dead officer and pulled forth the man's power sword. Thumbing on the weapon the Lieutenant looked up in time to take the arm off of a charging Ork with the new sword. The Slugger boy dropped, already riddled with holes from lasfire. Looking around Nils saw that the relatively small number of boys that had come down the hill in pursuit were all dead.

"Crush dere brainz in!" Yelled a Nob from farther up the hill. The five humans standing together at the bottom of the valley looked up to see twenty Nobs crest the top of the hill, running towards them. Even if they were to turn and run now none of the men would escape.

"Only in death does duty end." Nils said calmly to the other Guardsmen, reciting the proverb from memory.  
"For the Emperor." Replied the Corporal.  
"FOR THE EMPEROR!" Yelled all five humans as they rushed up the hill, weapons blazing.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: This could have been the big finale right here. I tend to get enough flak about how my writing that I gave people the option of ending it there. Two people voted for them to die and eight voted that they live so my choice was clear. )


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

The humans charged up the hill, all five concentrating their fire on the closest Nob. Within ten seconds the large Ork was riddled with holes of varying sizes, but at that rate they could only hope to down two more of the beasts even with lucky shots. Thoughts of weather his life would yet flash before his eyes didn't enter Nils' mind. Instead he did as his Space Marine instructor had taught him and concentrated purely on his hate for the enemy and newfound faith in the Emperor.  
"Faith is the sturdiest armour. Hatred the surest weapon." he had been told, and at that moment he believed it with his very being. Breathing hard as adrenaline surged he kept running, firing his gun as fast as it would cycle.

The hillside began to take on a reddish glow. At first Nils thought that perhaps the sheer rage was causing his vision to red-out. When the entire leading group of Nobs burst into flame from dozens of pinpoints across their bodies, he realised the truth.

"Down!" he yelled, dragging the others face first into the mud of the hillside. From on the valley floor, more than one hundred and fifty Guardsmen had witnessed their fearless charge up the slope. Now each and every one of them fired their lasrifles at the exposed Nobs.

They could hear one Nob yell out. "Letz get outta 'ere!" before he was downed by fire from some thirty lasrifles. The cries of the dying Orks were muffled by the hiss of steam as water in the air and muddy ground vaporised from lasfire. When the last of the Nobs were down, Nils raised his power sword above his head and shouted back down the hill. "Our Victory is at the top of that hill! CHARGE!"

"Yaaaaggh!" Yelled out fully half of the Guardsmen in response, as they ran back up the hill. Once he was certain that the soldiers down below actually means to carry through with their charge, he roused the men already with him.  
"To the top, before the others catch up."

Up the remainder of the hill they went, with more than a hundred men close on their heels. Only a handful of Orks remained on the top, armed with fairly average bolt weapons. Two men went down from the fairly large slugs before enough fire could be brought to bear on the green beasts.

Five minutes later the majority of the unit stood at the top of the hill, looking down on the surrounding areas. Some squads took up positions putting fire down on groups of Orks harassing Guard units farther along the valley. Nils wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead and, noticing how covered in blood they were, wiped his hands on his coat.

"Your name Corporal?" he asked the first man who had turned back to fight the Orks. "Devin Tyuth sir!"

"You're a good man. Worthy of service to the Emperor. What was your objective Corporal Tyuth?"

"As far as I know sir, just taking this hill. If we hold it, it should stall any Ork advance toward the main artillery base west of here."

To the north, the fighting continued for the smaller hills along the same side of the valley. Several Leman Russ Tanks and Chimera's still fought on but their infantry support was decimated. "Corporal, are there any NCOs' still alive?"

The other man looked around briefly then shrugged. "I'd have to say they're all dead sir."

"Then you're promoted to Sergeant. Your first job is to get a flag or a standard of some kind up here. I trust you not to run off."

"As you order sir!" Yelled the new Sergeant enthusiastically before charging off back down the hill.

Nils raised his power sword above his head and thumbed it on and off a couple of times. "Listen up everyone! We are going to hold this position. Begin entrenching immediately."

* * *

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part 3 seemed a little on the light side so I threw in what would have been part 4. )


	4. Chapter 4

-1  
A group of Guardsmen gathered around a metal post, sinking its one end into a hole in the ground and hoisting it upright. On its top end flew a green flag with a white double headed eagle. The men that were gathered around the hill started to clap or cheer at the sight of the Aquila flapping in the wind.  
The moment of revelry died when a large explosion rocked the battle site to the north. Armour plate rained down on the low muddy hills that filled the distance between their position and the battle. The mostly whole turret of a command tank smashed down atop one small rise.

"Keep digging." instructed Nils, taking off his coat and grabbing a nearby shovel. "We may need these trenches soon."

The minutes ticked by. At any time half of the men were digging, the rest taking pot-shots at distant Orks and Grots. The earth -a mix of mud and clay that was soaked through with water- was heavy to lift, but seemed to stay where it was put making things somewhat easier. The system's star was starting to sink towards the horizon when one of the men on watch shouted out. "Movement!"

"What do we have?" asked Tyuth. "My binoculars broke two days ago."

"Two Leman Russ, a Chimera and a pair of Basilisks that look like they haven't seen action."

As the convoy neared the men on top of the hill started to make out details. The main gun on the lead tank was destroyed; a team of guardsmen armed with Melta guns sat on top in its place. Heavy chains trailing back to the second tank served to pull that vehicle along. The Basilisks were covered in tarps and loaded with supplies. The ends of their heavy guns were covered over as well.

The Single Chimera that had brought up the rear sped up and passed the convoy, heading partway up the hill. When it stopped more than twenty guardsmen jumped off of the top with more leaving the aft hatch. A Sergeant armed with a hellgun strode forward.

"We saw your flag, who's in command here?"

Nils dropped his shovel and threw on his coat as he approached. "I am. I'm Lieutenant Nils Korpil."

"Master Sergeant Arn Dulius." The Sergeant looked him up and down then glanced over at the section of trench the supposed officer had been digging. "I don't recognise your uniform, sir"

"That's because it's not a uniform. This is my travel clothing. I was caught on-world in the midst of my pilgrimage to Holy Terra. Situation dictated that I lead these men."

Apparently accepting the lie the Sergeant straightened. "Very well sir. Our counter attack has failed and the Orks are moving even now to encircle us. All but one of our Officers are dead, killed when the Command tank and our Hellhounds were destroyed. Our vehicles are too badly damaged to get us back to the main artillery positions around Noscondra city."

"Who is your surviving officer?"  
"Captain Moliere Sir but he's badly wounded. Our Tech Priest is keeping him unconscious inside the destroyed Leman Russ for now."

Nodding in response he pointed towards the other vehicles. "What are the Basilisks for?"

"The Captain was hoping to set up a forward artillery position in these hills following a successful attack."

"An optimist apparently, how long do we have until the Orks begin to close in on us?"

"It should be a few hours until the Orks regroup and realise we're still here. They may even hold off until tomorrow, they are covering a lot of terrain after all."

Nils scanned the surrounding hills in the fading light.  
"Move all the vehicles to the top of the hill. Your working Leman Russ has dozer blade, use it to plough some trenches large enough to hide the vehicles in them for protection. I don't know what sort of air support you have available on this world so it's up to you weather to get a small landing pad in place or not."

"We had some Valkyries and other fliers outfitted for cargo detail back in Noscondra."

"Set some room aside then. Now get those vehicles moving Sergeant. I'll speak to you later."

The man jumped up on top of the lead Leman Russ and yelled orders to the driver. Revving up the engine to painfully loud levels, the tank began to move again.

Sergeant Tyuth walked up as Nils looked over the troops that had disembarked. "Spread out the heavy weapons teams to give us the best coverage. I'm going to see about our trench layout."

"Aye sir."


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

Log of Lieutenant Nils Korpil

Day 15: Where to begin... I have taken command of an Imperial Guard Infantry Company. Most of them are survivors of two different regiments that entered into combat a few days ago. The men have not questioned my timely arrival or even my intentions. It is enough for them that I preach the word of the Emperor with conviction in my voice. If I never again see Brother Atar I wish to convey how thankful I am to him for the gift he has given me.

Several men have approached me and have asked if they are to be executed for cowardice. After yesterday's battle I can understand the reasons for wanting to instil that sort of fear into the men. We are too few in number to carry through with executions at this time though, for what would be the point? I reply to them that I was too busy watching Orks die under their guns to have seen any cowardice.

For the last twenty hours we have been sending out the occasional patrol to find abandoned supplies to we can use. Every other moment is filled with two things; digging and shooting. Shoot and dig, dig and shoot. Mud, clay, dirt, it's all much the same to me at this point. Temporary Latrines are something of an importance I hadn't appreciated before now. The last thing we need is disease spreading through the trenches even before we finish digging them. Food supplies are also low as we have only what each man was carrying plus what was in the vehicles. Two Tech Priests survived the battle thankfully. They've divided their time between work on a recycling system and removing the heavy bolters from the vehicles.

We have enough Bolters and Lascannon for ten weapon emplacements. The Sergeants are hoping to build up crude pillboxes for them using lasrifles to bake the clay. The engines on both Leman Russ are now dead. The larger trenches dug for the vehicles are thankfully large enough and we were able to move the second disabled tank into them with the Chimera. The Basilisks will take two or three days to ready for firing due to the depth of mud in their trench. Lasrifles it seems are truly useful items in boiling off water from the soaked ground.

Ork attack, signing off.

* * *

"Greenskins!" shouted one of the men. "Thought I smelled something."

Tyuth scrambled up onto a rise so that he could see from his position. Orks were starting to clamber over the muddy hills to the north east. "Don't let them close! Open fire!"

All along the eastern trench line guardsmen dropped shovels and unslung their lasrifles. Sixty men had line of sight just from the trenches and more on the very top of the hill opened up. Red beams converged on targets a dozen at a time, dropping each monster in turn before changing to a different one.

A team of Guardsmen that had just set up one of the Heavy Bolters on a tripod opened fire as more Orks swarmed over the low hills to the east. The heavy one inch slugs blew through the leading Orks before detonating, tearing holes in the chests of those behind them. Even so, most of the rather small Orks took two or three hits to down.

Nils scrambled over the top of the wet hillside, pistol already drawn as he made his way towards the half completed trench. After looking over the damage the men were doing he yelled out;  
"Hold on the Bolter fire, conserve ammunition!"

Tyuth stepped over to the officer's position.  
"We've got them at a serious disadvantage sir. The terrain is too rough even for Orks to make good time."

"Agreed. Continue concentrating lasfire." Nils looked over the hillside and frowned. "Where is Sergeant Dulius?"

"Leading a sweep for any more supplies that they can find." Tyuth looked over Nils' shoulder and pointed. "There they are."

Sergeant Dulius and his men were just cresting a hill to the north that was part of the same ridge line as the new base. The Sergeant wasn't wasting any time or breath trying to radio for help. He and the men with him came sprinting down from their rise as fast as they could, firing to the east as they went. Dulius held his hellgun on full auto, spraying the Ork lines as the green wave tried to catch up.

Every spare man that wasn't keeping cover for the rest of the hill poured fire into the Orks closest to the Sergeant and his men. Nils began firing his plasma pistol once he gauged the Orks to be close enough and Tyuth stood firing his lasrifle as well. The new Sergeant saw more movement on top of the hill to the north east and yelled at one of the men to toss him their binoculars.

A whole extra horde of Orks were taking positions, each holding large long barrelled weapons.

"Shoota' boys!"


End file.
